NamWater warns vendors against procurement scam

The Namibia Water Corporation (NamWater) has sounded the alarm over a procurement scam targeting vendors, warning that fraudsters are impersonating officials from the company’s procurement management unit to solicit money in exchange for fake tender awards.

In a public statement issued this week, NamWater spokesperson Lot Ndamanomhata says scammers are contacting vendors while pretending to be NamWater representatives and are offering to fast-track or guarantee contract awards, if the vendors pay so-called “facilitation fees”.

“These scammers are contacting vendors claiming to represent NamWater and are falsely promising the award of procurement contracts in exchange for payment or ‘facilitation fees’. In some instances, they are using names of actual NamWater staff members and sharing forged documents to appear credible,” Ndamanomhata says.

He stresses that NamWater does not request any form of payment in exchange for procurement opportunities, adding that all procurement processes are governed by the Public Procurement Act, Act No. 15 of 2015, and are conducted through transparent, competitive and fair procedures.

“We wish to make it unequivocally clear that NamWater does not solicit any form of payment from vendors in exchange for procurement opportunities,” Ndamanomhata says.

The utility urges vendors not to respond to any suspicious messages demanding payments or promising contracts and warns against sharing sensitive information with unknown individuals.

“All official communication from NamWater is conducted through our formal channels and designated email addresses ending in @namwater.com.na,” he says.

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